If I could use one sentence to describe my time in Nepal I would say, it was some of the most amazing moments of my life, mixed with some of the most miserable moments of my life.
It was a month of a pure exhilaration…trekking through the Himalayas, taking a plane ride to the highest point on Earth, elephant safaris, hosting concerts and traveling with the band while dozens were getting healed and saved.
But it was a month of pure boredom…laying on my mat on the dirt floor with nothing to do but sleep, wandering out in the middle of nowhere with nothing scheduled for our days but meal times.
It was a month of seeing the most amazing sights… sunrise from Poon Hill (one of the greatest lookouts in the world), the snow swirls above Mt. Everest from the cockpit, all the majestic mountains of the Himalayas stretched out before me, the sea of colorful prayer flags above me as I stood looking over the valley of Katmandu.
But it was a month of being in the middle of nowhere…traveling from village to village, having no clue where we were, piles of trash and smog everywhere, nothing but dry fields and dirt along the Indian border.
It was a month full of intimate relationships…instantly bonding with the youth of the church (easily one of the most fun group of people I’ve met), spending every night fellowshipping, laughing, and of course dancing. A month where we were so welcomed in and loved by every person we met.
But it was a month of having no time to be together…leaving each place and person after a few days, traveling on to the next place. Something that was so hard on my spirit, especially being someone who loves intimacy and hates goodbyes.
It was a month of comforts…being in a major tourist area, seeing other westerners for the first time in a long time, coffee shops and good restaurants, hostels with beds and a television, real western toilets, a few warm showers.
But it was a month of misery…over 70 hours of travel in less than two weeks, traveling on Nepali “roads”, in Nepali “buses”, in Nepali “vans” packed with thirty one people for fifteen hours (with people hanging outside the door, as we zoomed along the narrow cliffs of the Himalayas). A month of constantly being surrounded by my biggest phobia, throw up, as the Nepali women yakked all over the crowded vans and bus rides. A month of my team being hit hard with sickness and injuries, with four visits to the hospital, and my entire team getting wiped out with an awful stomach virus/flu/parasite/amoeba (still not really sure what it was or if we still have it). A month of constantly moving around, sleeping on buses, lugging our packs, packing and unpacking and repacking. A month of living in tiny villages, sharing a room with chickens and goats.
All in all it was a really tough month, but with some amazing moments and some pretty good life lessons learned from God.
And as I sit here and reflect on my time in Nepal, I am reminded that often times that’s how life is. That’s how this entire Race has been. A lot of hard and miserable moments mixed in with those moments that take our breath away. But in every moment, whether good or bad, there are always lessons to be learned from our God who loves us. And although in the moment, I really hate those miserable times, in every single hard time in my life my Jesus has always been there and I have always grown in some way or form. So although those breathtaking moments are the ones I have photos of and the ones I love to talk about, and boast about the goodness of my God in… it’s those hard and miserable moments that are growing me into the woman God has called me to be. It’s those hard and miserable moments that are developing character and perseverance. It’s those hard and miserable moments that I’m now learning to be so thankful for.
